Tom Vek: We Have Sound

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Tom Vek is a man with many wonderful soulful and clattery sounds scrambling round inside his head. For that reason, the easiest reference point for 24-year-old Vek is Odelay-era Beck. The two share a love for off-kilter songs and oddball beats that make you dance - mostly on the spot. But because of Vek's deadpan delivery, accompanied by sporadic squawks (A Little Word In Your Ear), and his penchant for the unkempt lo-fi effect (On the Road), this album resembles something more like British post-punks the Fall.

The 10 tracks were all conceived, and in some cases recorded, in a garage at his family's London home. And because of this proud DIY recording heritage (see main story), We Have Sound is a beautifully bandaged together album that bleeps, rambles and jaunts along, with deep bass riffs and dry dance beats in all the right places. Check the wazzed out Nothing But Green Lights for all those qualities.

And with lines like "If you want a feel, then we better start touching" and "If you want tears, then we better start dying" then you know Vek has a nice cheeky, dirty and dark sense of humour.

The unashamed lo-fi approach does take some getting used to. However, the great thing about this debut is it's not an excessive dump of songs that Vek is getting out of his system. With 10 years of songwriting before this he would have had loads to chose from, but We Have Sound has 10 well-selected songs that are something odd, and something original.

Label: Tummy Touch